Hinchcliffe warns Vasseur faces mounting pressure to settle Hamilton-Leclerc team orders row

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur is facing intensifying calls to define the rules of engagement between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, with F1 TV pundit James Hinchcliffe warning the pressure on the Frenchman has reached a critical level heading into the Spanish Grand Prix on 13 September.

The tension between Ferrari’s two drivers has been building across recent rounds. At the Dutch Grand Prix, Hamilton repeatedly vented over team radio about the absence of clear team orders as he and Leclerc finished fourth and fifth. The situation escalated further at the Italian Grand Prix, where the pair made contact on the opening lap.

“A tremendous amount at this point just because it has got to this stage,” Hinchcliffe said on F1 TV’s Weekend Warm-Up show. “We’re round 14 of their second year working together and we’re still having these sorts of questions. What are the rules of engagement? There are very clear rules at McLaren and there are very clear rules at Mercedes.”

The former IndyCar driver added that Ferrari must address the issue promptly, regardless of whether the absence of a clear framework is a long-standing problem or a more recent oversight. “Whether it’s always been missing from Ferrari or just recently hasn’t been something they’ve looked into, it’s clearly something that they have to have a discussion about in the near future.”

Vasseur, speaking in a separate interview, acknowledged that conversations with Hamilton and Leclerc were needed following the Italian Grand Prix, but pushed back against suggestions of an internal crisis. The team principal confirmed that rules of engagement do exist within the team, while conceding that no contract can anticipate every on-track scenario. “You can’t expect contracts to cover every possible scenario you might encounter on track, because inevitably everything would become a matter of interpretation,” Vasseur said.

With Ferrari currently outside the championship lead, the inability to coordinate its two drivers risks compounding the team’s difficulties at a stage of the season where every point carries significant weight. The Spanish Grand Prix at the Madrid circuit on Sunday 13 September represents the next opportunity for Vasseur to demonstrate that the situation is under control.